The purrfect passenger gives the fright of his nine lives
<p>Some people are braver than others. And the same, apparently, can be said for cats. </p>
<p>Onboard a flight from Canada’s Ontario International Airport to the USA’s JFK, one feline friend turned heads when he was caught prowling down the aisle, thousands of feet in the air. </p>
<p>Columnist Yi Shun Lai was one of the passengers who caught sight of the apparent stowaway, and took to Twitter to share an image of the cat being held by a member of the flight crew, along with the caption “On last night's @JetBlue flight, ONT-JFK: 'Is anyone missing a CAT. A grey-and-white CAT.' Yes I woke up for this.”</p>
<p>As the post blew up across social media, she noted later that the cat had been declared as “HEAVY”, while people in her comments begged for further updates. </p>
<p>“Was the cat's owner found? Did it get trapped in a suitcase? Does a Canadian cat who stowed away need a visa now? I'M INVESTED IN THE OUTCOME HERE!!” declared one. </p>
<p>“And I would have got[ten] away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling cabin crew,” joked another. </p>
<p>“That is a giant version of my cat,” shared yet another follower. “How did she get hit by a growth ray and end up on a plane to JFK?”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, one had a suggestion that many seemed to agree with, writing, “we must claim the cat!!! And name him Baggage!”</p>
<p>And Cats with Jobs had something very, very important to share with everyone, telling them to “put him down, he’s the pilot.” </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">On last night’s <a href="https://twitter.com/JetBlue?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JetBlue</a> flight, ONT-JFK: “Is anyone missing a CAT. A grey-and-white CAT.” Yes I woke up for this. <a href="https://t.co/XE5ywPM9x7">pic.twitter.com/XE5ywPM9x7</a></p>
<p>— Yi Shun Lai (賴儀遜) (@gooddirt) <a href="https://twitter.com/gooddirt/status/1636719492662263809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Luckily, people weren’t left waiting around for an answer for long, with the cat’s owners revealing just how the furry friend - known as Brian to his family, who were also on the flight, and his new fans - got himself into that situation. </p>
<p>“Brian escaped from his carrier on our red-eye home from Ontario, California,” came the explanation. “Maybe cat backpacks aren’t the most practical for 8hr flights but he certainly has no regrets besides getting caught.”</p>
<p>As well as confirming that Brian wasn’t lost - only adventurous - his owners also noted that he is, in fact, a very big 8.6kg cat. He was also, most importantly, home “safe and sound” after his big day out in the sky. </p>
<p>The jokes kept rolling in from there, as well as one who spoke for everyone when he said “somehow, Brian seems like the perfect name for this dude.” </p>
<p>But for others, they just wanted more information on how he was doing, and how exactly he’d managed to get himself out of his carrier like they’d said. </p>
<p>“He’s doing great!” his owner, Alexis, shared with her followers. “My partner & I travel with him in a cat-backpack and the bottom flap isn’t very secure. So Brian … must’ve nudged it open while we were asleep.”</p>
<p>Yi Shun then commented, “at first we wondered if Brian weren't doped up on Benadryl; his expression seemed to be so over-it-all, but then it turns out no, this is Brian all the time.”</p>
<p>And Alexis was all too happy to confirm this, telling everyone that “this is his attitude at all times. Fussy, over it, and refusing to be ignored.” </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">That’s our big boy Brian! Thank you for all the love, he’s safe & sound but definitely not sorry haha <a href="https://t.co/GDg3Bwzv4p">pic.twitter.com/GDg3Bwzv4p</a></p>
<p>— Alexis (@prof_goddess) <a href="https://twitter.com/prof_goddess/status/1637182633397420032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>
